The technology giant announced the update via Google Maps Twitter feed. The tweet said that with the Google Maps’ new 3D globe mode, “Greenland’s projection is no longer the size of Africa.” However, it is notable that the update is only available on desktop as of now. On mobile, you’ll have to still keep up with the flat surface. Till now, Google Maps used Mercator projection – which displayed the Earth like a flat surface. Although it is a highly popular style that makes it simple to print, what it projects is a highly distorted image of the Earth. For instance, with Mercator projection, the size of Greenland and Africa appear to be the same. Whereas in reality, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland. Wondering why Mercator maps are being used in spite of displaying a distorted image of the Earth? A Google employee answered this for us in 2009 saying it helps them in preserving the angles of the roads. In an answer to a query on Google Maps & Earth Help forum, Joel H wrote, “The first launch of Maps actually did not use Mercator, and streets in high latitude places like Stockholm did not meet at right angles on the map the way they do in reality. While this distorts a ‘zoomed-out view’ of the map, it allows close-ups (street level) to appear more like reality. The majority of our users are looking down at the street level for businesses, directions, etc… so we’re sticking with this projection for now.” For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTubeWith 3D Globe Mode on Google Maps desktop, Greenland's projection is no longer the size of Africa.
— Google Maps (@googlemaps) August 2, 2018
Just zoom all the way out at https://t.co/mIZTya01K3 😎🌍 pic.twitter.com/CIkkS7It8d
Google Maps updated to display the Earth as a globe
Most of us rely on Google Maps whenever we are going to a place we have never visited before. It’s the most widely used app for directions. And now, the technology giant has added an interesting new update to its popular Maps app.
If you now zoom all the way out on Google Maps, the Earth will be displayed as a globe and not as a flat surface. With this update, Google Maps will be able to depict places more accurately.
LG G7+ThinQ smartphone with Snapdragon 845 processor launched in India: Price, specifications & more
It looks like OnePlus 6 has one more competitor in India. Till now, the device was competing with Vivo Nex and Asus Zenfone 5Z. And the latest device to give it competition is LG G7+ThinQ.
The smartphone was announced globally in May and is the successor to LG G6+ that was launched last year. It has a dedicated button for Google Assistant and also comes with AI powered dual rear cameras. Here, we list down the specifications, pricing and availability details of the newly launched smartphone.
Specifications
The Android 8.0 Oreo based LG G7+ThinQ features a 6.1-inch QHD+ FullView Super vivid display that supports an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The display also supports brightness of up to 1,000 nits and has 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut. Powered by Qualcomm’s latest processor – Snapdragon 845 – the smartphone comes with 6GB RAM. LG G7+ThinQ also has 128GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 2TB.
For imaging duties, the smartphone sports an AI powered dual rear camera setup with 16MP primary sensor that has an f/1.9 aperture lens and a 107 degrees’ field of view coupled with a 16MP secondary sensor that has an f/1.7 aperture, 71-degree lens. The rear cameras supports Bokeh effect and Live Photo mode. For selfies and video calls, there is an 8MP front facing snapper. The AI camera features 19 shooting modes along with three preset effects.
The smartphone houses a 3000mAh battery and comes with 7.1-channel DTS:3D Surround Sound support clubbed with a Boombox speaker and Hi-Fi Quad DAC for enhanced sound. The connectivity options of LG G7+ThinQ include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C, FM radio, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
As we mentioned earlier, the mobile also comes with a dedicated button that triggers Google Assistant and Google Lens. Its special features also include Super Far Field Voice Recognition that enables the phone to recognize voice commands from up to five meters.
Price
LG G7+ThinQ is priced at Rs 39,990 – which pits it directly against the likes of OnePlus 6 and Asus Zenfone 5Z. It will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting August 10.
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Epson L6190 review: Inexpensive printing around the office
In the age of laser printer Epson is banking hard on its ink tank printer technology. The Epson L6190 is duplex type office ink tank printer, which we got to our test table. Since, the Gadget Bridge team has used and tested quite a few ink tank printers by Epson in the past, we already had high expectations from this one too. So what is this new printing machine all about? Read the rest of our review to know all about it.
Alright, let’s begin with the form factor. The Epson L6190 looks like any other multi-function printer available today. The front has the 2.4-inch colour touch display in the middle, which gives its user the ability to manage most functions of the device including direct scan and print options without the need of a PC. On its side are the home and power buttons. Under the touch display panel is the paper holding tray that can hold up to 250 sheets in the input tray and 30 sheets in the output tray (A4 size).
Above the touch panel is the A4 size scanner and the automatic document scanner. The four ink tanks (CMYK) can be accessed by opening the middle part of the multi-function device. You can also see the inside machinery and how the printer works in real time. The ink bottles are supplied with the printer and one can easily fill the tanks thanks to its spill proof design. At the back you will find the power port, USB port, 1 Ethernet port and a phone line in port. This is there because you can receive fax on the Epson L6190 as well. The machine is all-black and we did find it simple yet modern.
Now coming to the fun part – the print and performance. The Epson L6190 is great to have around the office or home as the per print cost for black and white prints is just 12 paise and 20 paise for colour. This is cheaper than most laser printers in the market, which consume a lot of power. Talking about which, the Epson L6190 consumes only 12 wats while operating. The setup process is simple and one can connect to the printer over Wi-Fi, Ethernet or direct USB. USB cable, power cord and the setup CD come in the box.
We were able to get a speed of 27 pages per minute for BW draft. We tested the colour prints as well as high definition graphics in edge to edge mode as well. The print times are not as super as the ones we got it while in draft mode, but are pretty decent. The edge to edge A4 sheet got printed in just a little over a minute, which is not bad at all when compared to other printers in the category.
The print quality in both the modes, colour as well as black and white is very good. We got sharp text and graphics, however the colour vividness could have been better on the plain paper. On photo quality paper it was much better. The scan function also works nicely and we did not face any problems here. The scans were crisp with good detail, especially the coloured ones. The Epson L6190 is priced at Rs 24,099 and with the option of low cost ink refills available by Epson, this printer will not burn a hole in your pocket every time you run out of ink. Also, it comes with a 1-year warranty or 50,000 prints, whichever comes first.
Pros:
Low cost printing
Does not consumer lot of power
Sharp scans
Cons:
Colour vividness
Home users might find the price expensive
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Above the touch panel is the A4 size scanner and the automatic document scanner. The four ink tanks (CMYK) can be accessed by opening the middle part of the multi-function device. You can also see the inside machinery and how the printer works in real time. The ink bottles are supplied with the printer and one can easily fill the tanks thanks to its spill proof design. At the back you will find the power port, USB port, 1 Ethernet port and a phone line in port. This is there because you can receive fax on the Epson L6190 as well. The machine is all-black and we did find it simple yet modern.
Now coming to the fun part – the print and performance. The Epson L6190 is great to have around the office or home as the per print cost for black and white prints is just 12 paise and 20 paise for colour. This is cheaper than most laser printers in the market, which consume a lot of power. Talking about which, the Epson L6190 consumes only 12 wats while operating. The setup process is simple and one can connect to the printer over Wi-Fi, Ethernet or direct USB. USB cable, power cord and the setup CD come in the box.
We were able to get a speed of 27 pages per minute for BW draft. We tested the colour prints as well as high definition graphics in edge to edge mode as well. The print times are not as super as the ones we got it while in draft mode, but are pretty decent. The edge to edge A4 sheet got printed in just a little over a minute, which is not bad at all when compared to other printers in the category.
The print quality in both the modes, colour as well as black and white is very good. We got sharp text and graphics, however the colour vividness could have been better on the plain paper. On photo quality paper it was much better. The scan function also works nicely and we did not face any problems here. The scans were crisp with good detail, especially the coloured ones. The Epson L6190 is priced at Rs 24,099 and with the option of low cost ink refills available by Epson, this printer will not burn a hole in your pocket every time you run out of ink. Also, it comes with a 1-year warranty or 50,000 prints, whichever comes first.
Pros:
Low cost printing
Does not consumer lot of power
Sharp scans
Cons:
Colour vividness
Home users might find the price expensive
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Honor Play smartphone launched in India with a notch touch screen: Price, technical specifications and more
Honor play was announced in China in June 2018. Two variants of the smartphone were showcased at the event. One with 4GB RAM and the other with 6GB RAM. Today, at an event in New Delhi, both the variants of the smartphones have been launched in India. This is an Amazon exclusive deal to begin with, but speaking with Gadget Bridge Exclusively Honor did confirm it has plans to bring it to offline stores in sometime. The neat thing about the launch is that the Honor Play will start selling today itself at 4PM (IST) in India.
Honor Play technical specifications
The company has packaged the phone really well, in our opinion. Honor Play comes with a 6.3-inch FHD+ (2,340×1080 pixels) resolution touchscreen sporting 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display also features a notch similar to the one found in other Honor smartphones. Underneath, the Honor Play features a top-of-the-line Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset with an up to 2.36GHz Quad-core CPU. This comes in a combo of 4GB/6GB RAM with 64GB on board storage.
The memory is expandable by up to 256GB using a microSD card. Available in two colours, black and blue the Honor Play has a dual rear camera setup. This includes a 16-megapixel primary sensor with an aperture size of f/2.2 and a secondary camera sensor next to it (vertically placed) that has a 2-megapixel sensor and aperture size of f/2.4. Features like Phase detection autofocus and LED flash are also there. The front of the smartphone has a 16MP selfie camera with aperture size of f/2.0.
Android Oreo 8.1 with EMUI 8.2 is what this smartphone has right out of the box. Connectivity options includes 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, USB type C charging, GPS, Bluetooth v4.2 and a 3.5mm audio port. The Honor Play comes with 3,750 mAh battery and is fast charge compatible. Weight-wise the Honor Play balances 176 grams and is 7.48mm thin. Sensors like accelerometer, ambient light, compass and gyroscope have been added to the device.
Honor Play price in India
As said before, there are two versions of the smartphone available in India as well. The Honor Play with 4GB RAM and 64GB memory can be picked up for Rs 19,999 and the one which has 6GB RAM and 64GB memory can be bought for Rs 23,999. It is Amazon exclusive and sales start today. Vodafone bundle offer is also active where users can avail 10GB of data per month for a year, along with free Amazon Prime subscription.
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Top 5 Netflix shows to binge watch (August 2018)
This one is for all those Netflix binge watchers out there, who have liked and shared our previous videos and to all the new comers we are sure you will give us a shout out too. If you still have not subscribed to our Youtube channel, then go ahead and press that subscribe button and jab that bell icon.
Here are top 5 Netflix shows you need to binge watch in August, 2018.
- Orange Is The New Black: Season 6 is here and all the episodes are out. Yes, ladies and gentleman. For those who don’t know about this series, it’s about a privileged woman from New York who is sent to prison. It is an epic-epic season so go ahead and stream it!
- Switched: The Japanese series is about a high schooler, Ayumi, whose life becomes a mess when her body is switched with her classmate Zenko. The series is about how Ayumi’s life turns upside down when her boyfriend and her dear ones move away.
- The Epic Tale Of Captain Underpants: So what is the show all about? Two Fourth Grade buddies turn their annoying headmaster to Captain Underpants, the superhero who saves the day.
- Samantha!: The Brazilian series is about how the child star in the 80s has now grown up and struggles to come back in the spotlight.
- Ghoul: If you are craving for some real scary and creepy this is the show for you. The story is about an army officer who goes to interrogate a terrorist at the detention centre. But what she finds out, is something more…
BlackBerry Evolve, Evolve X smartphones launched in India: Price, specs and other details
BlackBerry had recently launched Key2 smartphone in India and today they have gone ahead and launched two new smartphones here. Called BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X, both the smartphone lie in the mid-segment. Optimus Infracom who is the licensee of the brand in India announced at an event that both smartphones were designed and manufactured in India. Built on series 7000 aluminium frame these smartphones feature Corning Gorilla Class 5 over the beautiful touchscreen and come with rubberised rear panel. The Quick charging features is available on both the smartphones along with face unlock capability.
BlackBerry Evolve X specifications
The BlackBerry Evolve X features an 18:9 aspect ratio driven 5.99-inch FHD+ (2160×1080 resolution) IPS LCD display. Under the hood this smartphone has a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core 660 CPU. This is paired with 6GB RAM and 64GB memory that is expandable using a microSD card of up to 2TB. For graphics the BlackBerry Evolve X has Adreno 510 graphics unit inside, too.
As for the cameras the BlackBerry Evolve X has a dual rear camera setup with 12MP primary sensor with aperture size of f/1.8 and secondary 13MP sensor with aperture size of f/2.6. These are coupled with a dual tone LED flash. Upfront this one has a 16MP fixed focus sensor with aperture size of f/2.0. The battery is 4,000mAh and the device comes with Android 8.1 Oreo as its native OS. The fingerprint sensor makes space at the back and the BlackBerry Evolve X supports 4G VoLTE functionalities. For wired connectivity this mobile comes with USB type C charging port and 3.5mm headphone jack on it.
BlackBerry Evolve specifications
While the BlackBerry Evolve has the same type of touchscreen, battery size, fingerprint sensor placement, operating system and front camera as found on the BlackBerry Evolve X. The major difference is on the inside. The BlackBerry Evolve sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset with 4GB RAM and Adreno 506 GPU. The storage is also same at 64GB as found on the BlackBerry Evolve X.
There is a dual rear camera arrangement on BlackBerry Evolve too, but with twin 13MP sensors with aperture size of f/2.0 on both. This also comes with dual tone LED flash. Both the smartphones come with BB power centre app that uses AI skills to analyse the consumer’s usage patterns and optimises performance and battery accordingly. The usual BB security features have also been added to both the smartphones like BB Password keeper and Privacy shade feature.
BlackBerry Evolve and BlackBerry Evolve X price
The BlackBerry Evolve is prices at Rs 24,990, while the BlackBerry Evolve X is priced at Rs 34,990 in India. BlackBerry Evolve will start shipping by August-end and the other will start its sales by mid-September. Amazon is its exclusive partner initially and it will then trickle down to offline retailers as well. Cashback offer of 5% from ICICI bank and Rs 3,950 benefits to JIO users is also on offer right now.
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[Video] Comio X1 Unboxing, First Impressions And Camera Shots
![[Video] Comio X1 Unboxing, First Impressions And Camera Shots](https://www.gadgetbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/maxresdefault-768x432.jpg "[Video] Comio X1 Unboxing, First Impressions And Camera Shots")
COMIO X1 is out and available in the Indian market. It has a 5.5-inch HD+ display and Face unlock feature. It is powered by 3,050 mAh battery and comes with Android 8.0 oreo on board. 4GB RAM and 16GB memory has also been thrown in the mix. Check out the video for box contents and camera shots of this smartphone.
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Facebook to make money from WhatsApp
Just last week, Facebook reported weaker than expected Q2 earnings. So it isn’t surprising to see today that it has taken a serious step towards monetizing WhatsApp. The instant messaging app owned by Facebook has rolled out three new ways in which customers can connect to businesses via WhatsApp. Here’s what will be different:
- Getting helpful information: Now, businesses will be able to send information like shipping confirmation or boarding pass to customers on WhatsApp.
- Option of starting a conversation: Users will be getting a click-to-chat button that will make it easier for them to quickly message the business they wish to get in touch with. The button will be visible either on the website or Facebook ad.
- Real-time support: Businesses will have the option of providing real-time support on WhatsApp for their customers. This will enable customers to get answers to various queries on WhatsApp itself.
Samsung Galaxy On8 with 6-inch touchscreen launched in India: Price, specs and more
Samsung must be on cloud 9 ever since they re-took the lead of the smartphone market in India, pipping Xiaomi to the number two spot. Today, the company with the largest smartphone manufacturing plant in the world has launched yet another smartphone in the country. Samsung Galaxy On8 is what the company has named it and this mobile device falls in the lower mid-segment of the smartphone market in India.
Samsung Galaxy On8 specifications
The Samsung Galaxy On8 is built for the youth and people who want a better display on their mobile. This device features a 6-inch super AMOLED infinity display with 18.5:9 aspect ratio. Overall, the front provides additional 15% of display area without increasing the size of the mobile. Under the hood the Samsung Galaxy On8 sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. This can be further expanded using a microSD card by up to 256GB.
Moving on to the cameras, this smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back with 16MP primary sensor and 5MP secondary sensor. This is embedded vertically along with a LED flash by its side. The cameras come with AI enhancements and also has live focus feature which enables the user to sharpen or blur the objects in the image, in real time. The front of the smartphone has a 16MP selfie camera with aperture size of f/1.9.
As for the operating system, the Samsung Galaxy On8 comes with Android Oreo 8.0 out of the box and packs a 3,500 mAh battery inside. The smartphone comes with ‘Make For India’ feature that lets its user watch uninterrupted videos while chatting over it. Other features include 4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack and accelerometer. It also sports a fingerprint reader at the back.
Samsung Galaxy On8 Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy On8 mobile is priced at Rs 16,990 in India and is exclusively available on Flipkart and Samsung’s own online shop. The sales start August 6 in India and couple of offers like the no-cost EMI option and data bundles are also part of it right now.
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WhatsApp rolls out group voice and group video calls feature
Instant messaging app WhatsApp has today got a much needed feature and it now enables users to make group voice and group video calls. If you can’t wait to have a group video call with your friends already, you must know that as of now the app only lets a maximum of four users get on a group call.
WhatsApp — which happens to be the most popular instant messaging app — has over 1.5 billion active monthly users. According to the company, over two billion minutes of calls are made on its service every day.
And now, users will be able to add more people to their voice and video calls by clicking on the ‘Add Participant’ button that appears on top right corner of their screen. The option of making these calls is coming to both Android and iOS and the company has said that these calls will be end-to-end encrypted.
While voice calls came to WhatsApp in 2014, video calls were introduced on the platform just two years back in 2016. The support for group voice and video calls was first announced at Facebook’s flagship event — F8 — this year.
The messaging app has also been in news for curbing the spread of misinformation on its platform. It recently started labeling forwarded messages on its platform. The label automatically gets added to any message, image, video or audio message that the user chooses to forward. In addition to this, it has also set a limit to number of people one can forward a message to.
These steps have been taken by WhatsApp after some serious issues reportedly cropped up because of fake news spread by users on the platform. According to reports, rumours of child abductions led to deaths in India and some media reports also claimed that false information about yellow fever vaccine caused the disease to resurge in Brazil.
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